As tomorrow’s clemency hearing for Stanley Tookie Williams approaches, brace yourself for some serious spin from the anti-death penalty crowd: redemption, mercy and the public’s queasiness over sending Williams to his maker.

The guess here: "Save Tookie" advocates will try to convince the press that Californians are having second thoughts not just about this case, but capital punishment in general.

I’ve done some research on this, and the numbers are interesting.

1) In a March 2004 Field Poll, 68% of Californians said they’re pro-death penalty. That was down four points from its 72% support in 2002, but 5% higher than its 63% support in 2000.

2) At no point in the past 35 years, according to Field, has death-penalty support fallen below 58%; over that same period,its opposition has never climbed higher than 34% (that was in 1971).

3) From 2000-2004, opposition to the death penalty actually decreased, from 30% to 26%.

The counter to all of this is that "only" 58% of Californians, in that same 2004 poll, believe that the death penalty is implemented in a just manner.… Read More

The furor over Susan Kennedy shows no signs of dying down, but this morning’s San Jose Mercury News reports on what may be another Democratic staffer-incuded headache for Schwarzenegger. Terry Tamminen, the governor’s cabinet secretary and top environmental advisor, opened for Al Gore at a Stanford event yesterday, in which the former VP spoke out against global warming. No problems there, as Schwarzenegger has already signed on to a host of pro-green legislation since taking office.

But the San Jose Mercury News reported that Tamminen delivered the "most politically biting jokes" of the day. And guess who Tamminen bit?

"Tamminen began his remarks by reading from a piece of paper he said was given to him by TV producer and environmental activist Laurie David: “The top five things President Bush says he will do to address global warming.” Among the satirical suggestions made by Tamminen: switching the power on Vice President Dick Cheney’s pacemaker to nuclear power, and invading Silicon Valley to secure more solar panels.

“The No. 1 thing President Bush says he will do to address global… Read More

OUTRAGE OVER SUSAN KENNEDY APPOINTMENT One of the advantages of publishing a website is that you get to make sure that your positions are very clearly articulated. Today in the Los Angeles Times, Robert Salladay has a story, Governor faces revolt in GOP. This article talks about an ever-growing angst within GOP grassroots activists and donors, all stemming from the ill-advised appointment of recalled Governor Gray Davis’ Chief of Staff, Susan Kennedy, a former Executive Director of the State Democrat Party, by Governor Schwarzenegger to run his administration.

Let me be very clear – I still remain supportive of this Governor. I believe that he has a lot that he wants to accomplish, much of which is in-line with the limited government, free-market principles of the Grand Ol’ Party. That said, I don’t have words to describe my dismay and disappointment at this… Read More

In my initial blog here several weeks ago, I asked for you to share those examples of “outside the box” ideas taking place in local government around the state. That invitation stands, by the way.

Case in point. Although it hit this morning’s Union-Tribune and was noted by a couple of local TV stations, the story was far more deserving of even broader attention: One of the state’s largest high school districts is looking at a proposal to go ALL charter, by adding 10 charter campuses to the one already in place.… Read More

State Senator John Campbell has won (absentee ballots show him ahead 53% to the Democrat’s 25% to Gilchrist’s 19%) today’s Special Election for California’s 48th Congressional District.

See live election results here. See OC Registrar of Voters live webcam here.

As the OC Blog points out, Gilchrist is running behind the Democrat. I guess the Minute Man has had his 15 already.… Read More

I’ve come across a talented young OC blogger at the always lively OC Blog, a fellow by the name of Robbie Haglund.

Since I’m still warm to the topic of John & Ken’s excesses, I’d like to reprint a comment Haglund posted on OC Blog regarding L.A.’s top-rated talk show hosts:

I just read the entry powerbluereport wrote. I have some simple questions for him regarding the content.

So for the record… you don’t believe that when John and Ken call Gilchrist a "Republican" that they are being a little misleading?

Do you also find it fine and dandy that they choose not to mention that Jim was invited to the Hugh Hewitt show, accepted, and then backed out scheduling a debate on the John and Ken show at the same time?… Read More

As my wife and I were driving to The Claremont Institute’s Winston Churchill Dinner honoring columnist Mark Steyn this past Friday, we listened to John & Ken on KFI-AM.

J & K were expressing their frustration that state Sen. John Campbell would not be attending their 48th CD special election forum that was held last night. [Full disclosure time: I was a consultant on John Campbell’s first campaign for Assembly in 2000, and I would vote for him today if I still lived in that district]

I like listening to John & Ken as much as the next conservative. I don’t share their near-obsession with illegal immigration, but they do a public service in keeping the issue on the political front-burner.

At the same time, they are so far in the tank for Jim Gilchrist that I suspect that John Kobylt, especially, will say anything to further Gilchrist’s candidacy.

For example, this past Friday, Kobylt was telling listeners there were two Republicans on the ballot,… Read More

In the week since Governor Schwarzenegger has appointed Susan Kennedy to be his new Chief of Staff, GOP grassroots volunteers and donors up and down the state have been reacting strongly to the news. Whether it is her former positions as Gray Davis’ Deputy Chief of Staff, Executive Director of the California Democrat Party, Senior Staffer to Senator Dianne Feinstein, or her post as Executive Director of the California Abortion Rights Action League — news of the appointment is really ginning up ire.

Apparently the members of the California Republican Party Board of Directors have been really been feeling the heat. So much so that they held an emergency telephonic meeting of the Board of Directors late last week, and coming out of that meeting have asked for an in-person meeting with Schwarzenegger to discuss Kennedy’s appointment, as well as go-forward plans between the Governor and the State GOP. One area that will certainly need to be ironed out is who will represent the… Read More